Gov. Wolf Hailed For Widening Access to Anti-Overdose Drug
By Tony Romeo
HARRISBURG, Pa. (CBS) -- A health advocate for people with addiction issues is praising Pennsylvania governor Tom Wolf's initiatives to relax restrictions on a medication that can prevent fatal drug overdoses.
Wolf recently directed the state physician general to issue a standing order allowing all Pennsylvanians to access naloxone.
Daniel Raymond, of the New York-based Harm Reduction Coalition, says last year's change in Pennsylvania law -- to allow people to get a prescription for naloxone in cases where a drug addicted love one was in danger -- didn't help enough.
"That creates a barrier of stigma and shame," Raymond notes. "And the standing order means that people can go straight to the pharmacy and pick up naloxone without having to worry about their doctor judging them or this appearing in their medical records."
The Wolf administration has also announced that Pennsylvania state police will begin carrying doses of naloxone, which is an antidote to overdoses of heroin and other opioid drugs.
